


Nature's Candy

by xxktrxx



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: F/F, f/f - Freeform, jan/holly, slowburn, they would be adorable okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:35:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27692858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxktrxx/pseuds/xxktrxx
Summary: “Oh; she’s very beautiful.” Holly replied quietly, not quite sure why she couldn’t keep her gaze off of her.“Yes, she is.” Oscar replied, before looking at Holly in warning. “And clinically insane,” he added with a chuckle, stacking some papers on his desk. Still Holly’s gaze lingered, and Oscar looked at her pointedly. “Hello?” He asked with a snap of his fingers, and she looked at him with a nervous laugh.“Sorry, I…” Holly trailed off, unsure of what to make of it. “She’s very beautiful,” she repeated, not knowing what else to say as she swallowed.“Yeah, you said that,” Oscar repeated, a hint of a smile on his face. “You sure you aren’t a lesbian, Holly?” He asked in amusement, sitting down in his chair.“...no,” Holly replied quietly, before shaking her head of the thought and making her way back to her desk.ORHolly and Jan have a lot more in common than they previously thought.
Relationships: Jan Levinson/Holly Flax
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

“Oh, Oscar,” Holly put a hand on the man’s arm as he passed by, watching Michael retreat into his office with the pregnant woman. “Who’s that woman in Michael’s office, with the feet?” She asked curiously, chewing on the inside of her cheek. 

“That’s his ex,” Oscar replied pointedly, not wanting to get into the history of it now. 

“Oh; she’s very beautiful.” Holly replied quietly, not quite sure why she couldn’t keep her gaze off of her. 

“Yes, she is.” Oscar replied, before looking at Holly in warning. “And clinically insane,” he added with a chuckle, stacking some papers on his desk. Still Holly’s gaze lingered, and Oscar looked at her pointedly. “Hello?” He asked with a snap of his fingers, and she looked at him with a nervous laugh. 

“Sorry, I…” Holly trailed off, unsure of what to make of it. “She’s very beautiful,” she repeated, not knowing what else to say as she swallowed. 

“Yeah, you said that,” Oscar repeated, a hint of a smile on his face. “You sure you aren’t a lesbian, Holly?” He asked in amusement, sitting down in his chair. 

“...no,” Holly replied quietly, before shaking her head of the thought and making her way back to her desk. 

She didn’t know very many lesbians. In fact, she thought she knew only one, and that wasn’t even confirmed. As she sat down at her desk, she had half a mind to call up her mother and start asking her questions, as if she had all the answers, like she had whenever she had a problem. Instead, her mind kept wandering to what Michael and his ex were getting up to in his office. 

After about twenty minutes of just sitting at her desk and trying to fill out some paperwork, Holly stood and made her way to the break room, two dollars in her hand to get a snack from the vending machine. 

However, she was surprised to find Jan there, a hand on her stomach as she scoured the machine for her own desired snack. “Oh,” Holly paused a moment, “hi.” She added a second later, giving Jan a nervous smile. “How - how far along are you?” She asked, motioning to her stomach. Was it Micheal’s baby?

“I’m not pregnant,” Jan shook her head, waiting to see the woman’s reaction. Holly paused, stuttering out an apology before Jan spread a smile across her lips. “I’m kidding,” she chuckled, knowing it would work. “But you shouldn’t go around assuming,” she chided lightly, before adding, “I’m due in a few weeks.” 

“You’re right,” Holly shook her head in agreement, “I’m sorry.” She fell silent, feeling stupid for having fallen for that. “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” She asked a moment later, focusing more on Jan rather than her desired task. 

Jan shook her head, smiling. “No, uh...no. I want it to be a surprise.” She replied, “Hoping for a girl though!” She crosses her fingers, chuckling. Holly nodded in agreement with a hum, eyes returning to the vending machine with curiosity. 

“Do you have any weird cravings?” The blonde asked with nervous interest, feeling the palms of her hands warm up slightly. 

Jan thought about it a moment, eyeing Holly from the side with a small grin. Jan hardly saw women more beautiful than herself. “Usually, I hate raisins. But I’ve been really liking raisin cookies lately.” The vending machine, however, had removed the snack under Kevin’s insistence - just another aspect of the office that had Jan wishing she had no association with it. 

Holly made a note of it - that is, with the hopes that Jan would be making herself more present around the office. She liked baking. “I’m Holly, by the way.” The woman introduced herself, holding her hand out for Jan to shake. Jan reached out and took her hand softly, though her handshake still demanded a shred of respect. 

“Jan. Janet...Jan.” Jan shrugged, sighing with a grin and a small shake of her head. 

“I should go, but um...there’s raisins in the cinnamon rolls. We just don’t tell Kevin.” Holly pointed out, pointing to the desired snack in the machine and hastily handing Jan the two dollars clutched in her hand - panicking in the moment and thinking it the polite thing to do. “Enjoy.” She huffed in a haste, before turning on her heel and swiftly making her way back to her desk. 

Jan remained at the vending machine, jaw slacked a bit in confusion at what had just happened as she looked down at the two dollars in her hand. Holding back a smirk, she turned back to the machine and slid the money inside.   
_________________________________________________________________________

“Oh, Michael - I should really get going.” Jan assured the man as he helped her stand up, hand on her stomach as she sighed. “Really, thank you - we can talk more about it another time.” She promised, putting on her coat. 

“I -...okay, Jan.” Michael nodded while he cleared his throat, opening his office door for her. Outside, Holly stood by the copier, attention drawn upwards as she heard Jan’s voice. “Say bye everyone, next time you see Jan, there’ll be two of her!” He laughed, nodding his head.

There was a small round of soft ‘goodbyes,’ then a small pause. “...Alright.” Michael nodded, walking back into his office and closing the door. Jan lingered for a moment, before making her way towards the copy machine, digging through her bag. She pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it inside the machine, coming up beside Holly. 

She was quiet as she made a few photo copies, before sliding one of the papers into Holly’s pile. “I um, run my own candle business. If you’re ever interested.” She pointed out, and Holly’s eyes ran over the paper before stopping to see Jan’s cell phone number in bold at the bottom of the page. “Give me a call.” Jan shrugged, before taking her copies and leaving.

From his place closeby, Oscar stifled a chuckle as Holly stared down at the paper, shaking his head.


	2. Chapter 2

Holly wasn’t known for taking chances. It could be the opportunity if a lifetime, but even then she could find something to get in the way. It was a fatal flaw, one would say, but she was learning to stray. Or at least trying to. 

So she hadn’t called Jan. 

She thought about it a lot. She didn’t really need candles - and sometimes they gave her headaches - but it was a safe in, that she knew. To what? That part she was still a little bit confused about. 

It had been a few weeks. Michael had been parading around the office in preparation for the birth of Jan's baby - it only fueled Holly’s guilt that she had failed to call the woman, as Jan had clearly wanted her to; right? Holly swallowed as she sat at her desk, tapping a pencil against her desk absently. Jan was going to be here soon - what was Holly supposed to say to her? Would she be offended? Was she just overthinking it? Probably. 

The woman was having a baby soon, after all. She had bigger things to worry about. 

It was only a few moments later that Jan was walking through the door, and she had at her side...a baby. 

Oh. 

Everybody seemed to be surprised, but nobody more so than Michael. If Holly was being honest, it felt somewhat good given the fact that Michael had told her he’d been be treating her poorly in Jan’s presence. It was shallow. 

Instantly Jan’s eye caught Holly’s, and the blonde swallowed as she gave a weak wave, begging her cheeks not to flush in the woman’s presence. 

The baby shower went exactly as the office had suspected a situation like that would go. Between Michaels inane attempts at a baby shower, and Jan’s…”lullabies,” it was a miracle that the employees tolerated it for as long as they did. Holly, on the other hand, didn’t mind so much. 

When Jan put herself down for a nap, Astrid made her rounds among the employees of Dunder Mifflin. From Phyllis, to Angels, to Oscar, and eventually, to Holly. Baby in her arms, Holly lulled her to sleep around the office, humming softly as she cradled the baby lovingly. She was a sweet baby, Holly found, and seemed to be comfortable in her embrace. When she stumbled upon Jan sleeping on the couch, she could only imagine how tired she’d been. Holly couldn’t imagine having a baby just yet. 

Suddenly the woman stirred awake, and Holly felt Astrid stir just slightly in her mother’s presence, but remain fast asleep. “How long was I asleep?” Jan mumbled, the sight of Holly holding her daughter awakening something within her. 

“Not too long. She’s an angel.” Holly offered softly, a finger running over Astrid’s small cheek with affection.

“You didn’t call,” Jan pointed out after a moment, noticing how comfortable her daughter made herself in Holly’s arms. “I could really use the business.” Jan teased sleepily, reaching her arms out for her daughter. Holly passed her along, instantly missing the warmth of the bundle in her arms. 

She blushed at Jan’s words, looking down at her feet. “I figured you were preparing to have your hands full.” She admitted shyly, motioning to the baby. “I’m sure you’re exhausted,” Holly added in understanding. “If you ever need a sitter, I-I love babies.” She offered, nodding. 

“I’ll keep it in mind.” Jan nodded, eyes dancing over Holly’s face with interest. There was an awkward silence as Holly chewed on the inside of her cheek, wanting to work up the courage to say something - anything - before Michael stepped out of his office and interrupted them. 

Holly swallowed her disappointment. 

———————-

That night Holly stared at the screen of her cell phone with great intensity. She had to admit; living alone was pretty...lonely. She’d always had roommates, or her parents - even back in Nashua. But right now she couldn’t get the prospect of Jan from her mind, and her fingers danced across the keyboard of her phone aimlessly. 

She could hear Oscar’s voice in her head egging her on, but he did seem like one for drama - and Holly had hoped to avoid that as much as possible. Aside from Michael, however, Oscar was the only other one to really understand Holly. 

Taking a deep breath, Holly picked up the phone and glanced over at the sheet of paper Jan had given her sitting on the counter, dialling the number as she chewed on the inside of her cheek and brought the phone up to her ear. 

It felt like a whole ten minutes before Jan picked up, and in that ten minutes, Holly had went through six different stages of hesitation. “Hello?” Jan’s voice ran through the receiver and Holly paused a moment, blanking on what to say.

“Hey-Hello.” She replied finally, clearing her throat. “It’s me. Holly, I mean.” She offered gently, bringing her hand to her forehead in faux punishment. But she could almost feel the smirk through the phone on the other line, and she settled herself down on her couch with a small grin. 

“Holly, hi. I wasn’t sure I’d be hearing from you.’ Jan spoke with a teasing tone, and Holly could tell from the way she spoke that she had Astrid in her arms - she could hear the small baby coos. 

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Holly asked, hoping Astrid hadn’t been asleep when she called and she caused a disturbance. 

“No, no. We just got finished with a bath.” Jan assured her with a shake of her head on the other line. “How are you?” She asked a moment later, setting Astrid down on the changing table and beginning to fasten her pajamas around her. 

“I’m good,” Holly replied with a nod, hoping that Jan couldn’t hear the shakiness of her voice. “Is uh...Is the candle shop open?” She asked with a nervous chuckle, knowing she didn’t actually want to buy candles, but figuring it wouldn’t hurt to have an excuse for calling at eight o’clock at night. 

“No,” Jan replied with a laugh, shaking her head buttoning up Astrid’s onesie. “But I appreciate your enthusiasm. What are you up to?” The older woman asked, beginning to prepare Astrid’s crib for bed. 

Holly was relived that her blush couldn’t be seen, and she brought her thumb up to her mouth and chewed at the tip of the nail. She glanced at the glass of wine in front of her and the leftover pizza she was eating. “I was just having a drink,” she explained, taking a sip from the mentioned glass. 

“Come have it over here.” It was more so an order - at least that’s what it sounded like to Holly - and the blonde got a shiver up her spine. “I have an...ample amount of wine.” 

Jan had stopped drinking for the last nine months during her pregnancy, and her supply of wine was building up dust. Holly sucked on her tongue in consideration. 

“Yes?” Jan asked over the line after a moment of silence, “I’ll text you the address.” 

And before Holly could say anything, Jan had hung up. The younger woman sat on the couch in wonder, noticing the way she was so easily controlled. 

And yet, she stood up and poured her glass out. Grabbing her keys and cell phone, Holly threw on her shoes and was out the door, waiting for Jans text as she got into her car.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, you and Michael - dated?” Holly asked, somewhat nervously, as she curled her feet beneath her lap on Jan’s couch. Jan chuckled slightly at the question, leaving the door to Astrid’s room slightly ajar after having checked on her. 

“I guess,” she nodded in response, taking her place back beside the blonde and picking her glass up from the table. “I was going through a very...strange, time in my life. Michael is -”

“- sweet, funny, and caring?” Holly interrupted, filling in the sentence with how she perceived the man to be, most of the time.

“...Ah.” Jan snickered in realization. “Understanding, was the word I was looking for. But you seem pretty locked in.” She pointed out, and for some reason, felt a small pound of unease settle into the pit of her stomach. 

“Oh, no, it’s not what you think,” Holly shook her head in protest; though she wasn’t sure if that was entirely true. “I just -... you’re right. He’s understanding. Not everybody has been very welcoming since I’ve been here. I guess they have something against HR.” The woman joked slightly with a shrug, trying to veer the conversation off of her own confused feelings. “It’s just nice to have a friend.” 

Jan was quiet for a moment. She knew what it meant to have a friend when it was most needed. “Well, now you have two.” She offered, tapping the edge of her glass against Holly’s. Holly smiled sincerely, feeling it reach the very corners of her mouth. 

“In all seriousness, Michael was good to me. I just think we were always at two very different points in our lives,” Jan explained, motioning towards Astrid’s bedroom door. “It got to a point where we both just...overflowed. It didn’t work.” And that was okay with Jan; Michael was a big part of her becoming who she was now. 

Holly listened with fascination; and wondered if she and Michael would be doomed to have the same fate. It seemed unlikely; they were so much alike, and got on so well. “And now? Are you seeing somebody?” She asked Jan with curiosity, not seeing any wedding ring on her finger or any indication around her home that a man ever frequented the residence. 

“Why, are you interested?” Jan joked with another sip of her wine.

“Maybe.” It came out much quicker than Holly had intended; and much louder. She hadn’t intended to say it at all; but she’d had three glasses of wine, most hopes of clarity and control were slipping away. “...maybe not.” She tried to save herself, crinkling her brow in wonder. “I’m having trouble picking my thoughts out right now. You’re a very attractive woman.” She admitted calmly with a nod of her head, leaning her elbow on the back cushion of the couch.

This made Jan raise a perfectly trimmed brow in slight amusement, mouth hanging open just slightly in thought. She didn’t mind the boldness, she actually appreciated it - being kept in the loop was a sign of respect, to her. “Thank you,” she nodded back in response with a slight smile. 

She could tell that the alcohol was having great fun in messing with Holly’s sense of censorship at the moment. “No, I’m not seeing anybody. It’s hard to get out there with an infant on your hip.” Not that she was complaining so much; Jan was enjoying the time she had to be a new mother and focus on giving Astrid all the attention that she needed. 

“Well, you’re lucky I make house calls, so you don’t have to go out anywhere.” Holly joked, and Jan had to laugh at the corniness of it. 

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were hitting on me.” Jan pointed out cheekily, even though she had a great inkling that that was exactly what was going on. Holly didn’t reply, instead she finished off her glass of wine and set the glass aside, closing her eyes for a moment and enjoying the buzz. Okay, so it was stronger than that - but Holly liked to think she did okay in holding her alcohol. 

“Just so we’re clear, I think you’re a very attractive woman, too.” Jan added a moment later, a lot of the humor gone from her voice so the other woman knew she was serious. Holly opened her eyes to meet Jans gaze, and the pair took a silent moment to just observe one another. 

Astrid’s cry broke the tension. 

“Sorry,” Jan apologized, standing and making her way towards the baby’s room. Holly waved her off casually, watching as Jan disappeared into the room and returned a moment later with the crying child, trying to soothe her. 

“Maybe I should go,” Holly began, thinking she had overstayed her welcome. “It’s getting pretty late, and I have to be up for work in the morning.” She explained in a slight slur, trying to get her shoes on. 

“Oh don’t be ridiculous, Holly. I’m not letting you drive home like this.” Jan shook her head as Astrid began to calm, rocking the child softly. “Stay the night; the couch pulls out.” She assured her, already reaching for Holly’s keys. After a moment of thinking, Holly dropped her car keys into Jans waiting palm and sunk back into the couch with a defeated smile. 

Jan set them aside and sat back down, cradling Astrid lovingly as she leaned back into the couch. “She looks like you,” Holly offered softly. She’d wanted kids for a long time too; a little face to match her own. But the idea of doing what Jan did was scary - she didn’t want to raise a child alone. She respected the older woman. 

Jan smiled in return, one of her fingers stroking Astrid’s cheek softly. “I like not knowing who her dad is. It helps me see myself throughout all of her, not just half.” She spoke candidly, grateful for each rise and fall of Astrid’s chest. A few minutes later she returned the baby to her crib, and began to wheel the small bed into her own bedroom for Holly’s own comfort during the night. 

“Here, let me help you.” Jan offered as Holly attempted to pull out the bed from the couch. The pair gave a sharp tug and Holly stumbled back slightly as the bed popped out, causing both women to fall into a small fit of slightly drunken laughter. The laughter increased as Holly began to hiccup, and Jan had to sit down on the edge of the bed to keep herself from falling over. 

“I think we need to go to bed,” Jan forced out between laughs, rubbing her face with her hands before looking up at the blonde. Holly nodded in agreement, trying not to laugh each time her shoulders rocked with a hiccup.


End file.
